Romans 4

1 What then shall we say—as touching Abraham our forefather?

What then, it may be asked, are we to say about Abraham, the ancestor of our nation?

2 For, if Abraham by works was declared righteous, he hath whereof to boast; —nevertheless, not towards God, —

If he was pronounced righteous as the result of obedience, then he has something to boast of. Yes, but not before God.

3 For what doth the Scripture say? And Abraham believed in God, and it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.

For what are the words of Scripture? ‘Abraham had faith in God, and his faith was regarded by God as righteousness.’

4 Now, unto him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned by way of favour but by way of obligation,

Now wages are regarded as due to the man who works, not as a favour, but as a debt;

5 Whereas, unto him that worketh not but believeth on him that declareth righteous the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.

while, as for the man who does not rely upon his obedience, but has faith in him who can pronounce the godless righteous, his faith is regarded by God as righteousness.

6 Just as David also affirmeth the happiness of the man unto whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works: —

In precisely the same way David speaks of the blessing pronounced upon the man who is regarded by God as righteous apart from actions —

7 Happy, they whose lawlessnesses have been forgiven and whose sins have been covered,

‘Blessed are those whose wrong-doings have been forgiven and over whose sins a veil has been drawn!

8 Happy, the man whose sin the Lord will in nowise reckon.

Blessed the man whom the Lord will never regard as sinful!’

9 This happiness, then, [is it] for the circumcision, or for the uncircumcision? for we say—His faith was reckoned unto Abraham as righteousness:

Is this blessing, then, pronounced upon the circumcised only or upon the uncircumcised as well? We say that — ‘Abraham’s faith was regarded by God as righteousness.’

10 How, then, was it reckoned? When he was in circumcision or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision;

Under what circumstances, then, did this take place? After his circumcision or before it?

11 And, a sign, he received [namely] of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while yet uncircumcised; to the end he might be father of all that believe during uncircumcision, to the end [the same] righteousness might be reckoned unto them, —

Not after, but before. And it was as a sign of this that he received the rite of circumcision — to attest the righteousness due to the faith of an uncircumcised man — in order that he might be the father of all who have faith in God even when uncircumcised, that they also may be regarded by God as righteous;

12 And father of circumcision—unto them who are not of circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, while yet uncircumcised, of our father Abraham.

as well as father of the circumcised — to those who are not only circumcised, but who also follow our father Abraham in that faith which he had while still uncircumcised.

13 For, not through means of law, doth the promise belong unto Abraham or unto his seed, —that he should be heir of the world; but, through a righteousness by faith.

For the promise that he should inherit the world did not come to Abraham or his descendants through Law, but through the righteousness due to faith.

14 For, if they who are of law are heirs, made void is faith and of no effect is the promise.

If those who take their stand on Law are to inherit the world, then faith is robbed of its meaning and the promise comes to nothing!

15 For, the law, worketh out anger, but, where there is no law, neither is there transgression.

Law entails punishment; but, where no Law exists, no breach of it is possible.

16 For this cause, it is by faith, in order that it may be by way of favour, so that the promise is firm unto all the seed, —not unto that by the law only, but unto that also [which is such] by the faith of Abraham; who is father of us all, —

That is why all is made to depend upon faith, that all may be God’s gift, and in order that the fulfilment of the promise may be made certain for all Abraham’s descendants — not only for those who take their stand on the Law, but also for those who take their stand on the faith of Abraham. (He is the Father of us all;

17 Even as it is written—Father of many nations, have I appointed thee: before him whom he believed—God, who causeth the dead to live, and calleth the things that are not as things that are: —

as Scripture says — ‘I have made thee the Father of many nations.’) And this they do in the sight of that God in whom Abraham had faith, and who gives life to the dead, and speaks of what does not yet exist as if it did.

18 Who, past hope, upon hope believed, so that he became father of many nations, —according to what had been said—So shall be thy seed; —

With no ground for hope, Abraham, sustained by hope, put faith in God; in order that, in fulfilment of the words — ‘So many shall thy descendants be,’ he might become ‘the Father of many nations.’

19 And, without becoming weak in his faith, he attentively considered his own body, already deadened—he being a hundred years old, the deadening also of Sarah’s womb;

Though he was nearly a hundred years old, yet his faith did not fail him, even when he thought of his own body, then utterly worn out, and remembered that Sarah was past bearing children.

20 In respect, however, of the promise of God, he was not led to hesitate by unbelief, but received power by his faith, giving glory unto God,

He was not led by want of faith to doubt God’s promise.

21 And being fully persuaded (that), —what he hath promised, able is he also to perform:

On the contrary, his faith gave him strength; and he praised God, in the firm conviction that what God has promised he is also able to carry out.

22 Wherefore [also], it was reckoned unto him as righteousness.

And therefore his faith ‘was regarded as righteousness.’

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was reckoned unto him,

Now these words — ‘it was regarded as righteousness’ — were not written with reference to Abraham only;

24 But for our sakes also—unto whom it is to be reckoned, —even unto them that believe upon him who raised Jesus our Lord from among the dead:

but also with reference to us. Our faith, too, will be regarded by God in the same light, if we have faith in him who raised Jesus, our Lord, from the dead;

25 Who was delivered up on account of our offences and was raised on account of the declaring us righteous.

for Jesus ‘was given up to death to atone for our offences,’ and was raised to life that we might be pronounced righteous.